61 reviews of this school

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Ps 87 William Sherman3

Posted March 01, 2015
- a parent

It was a special school An (old) attribute - to 'drop off' our children in the 'big yard', gave the elementary school years the family feeling of involvement, nurture, connection and duty. We got to know other kids and parents. A yearlong 're-paving' of the 'big yard', must've made the teachers lazy to not having to labor down to the yard for morning pick up. (Was never a safety issue. Ever.) This 'lack of connection' has resulted in less and less incoming parents stepping up to fill the 'involved' shoes of those of us leaving (so the school is on a downward slope), and more and more we don't know our children's classmates reflective of technology isolation abounding. The school refuses to fire 2 third grade teachers (Lisa Uhr & Emily Weinstein) and the 4th/5th grade science teacher 'Tom', despite persistent complaints by parents. So sad this 4th/5th grade science teacher shatters his opportunity to ignite a love of science in these children If he is so bored by science- he should spare our kids and find something else to do. The 2 third grade teachers should not be teaching children- at all.

PS 87 has a pretty strong community with a few wonderful teachers. It ends there. The administration is simply awful. Claudia is an unprofessional presence and I cringe each time my daughter tells me another story describing her "crazy behavior". The guidance counselor is also known for giving parents minimal and sometimes misinformation.The principal is known throughout the community as one that will never take a stand. She feeds back platitudes and offers minimal to no help. She is, simply, incompetent. The school is grossly overcrowded with 29, 6 yr old 2nd graders to 1 overwhelmed teacher. Many teachers have considerable potential but they need clear direction and guidance. There is almost no academic consistency from one classroom to another and I hear the science teacher is so absolutely awful that the kids call him "the most boring human ever". One teacher is actually known for cursing at her students! This is where the principal needs to do her job...but she would rather not ever make waves. The only way one's "non gifted" child can thrive is to be supportive, send them for additional after school academic programing and tutor, tutor, tutor for that 4th grade test.

Thank god I don't work here any more. The staff here are just plain unkind to one another and treat eachother rudely. Meanwhile. they teach kids to respect one another! There are exceptions, of course, but they are in the minority. I'll give this school 3 stars because I know there are other schools that are even worse.

If I could give this school a rating of zero stars, I certainly would! The Principle, Monica Berry, is ineffective - she won't solve festering problems, all the while ignoring my emails and phone calls. If you walk into her office to speak with her, she'll always claim she's too busy. My daughter wears hearing aids in both ears and teachers must wear an FM unit so she can hear them. Throughout the school year, she has been bullied and pushed around by Noelia, a teacher and an attitudinal late room supervisor. Despite repeated attempts to reach out to the principle, nothing was done! Noelia has never bothered to wear the FM unit but yells at my daughter for not listening. How can you yell at a girl when she can't even hear you? Due to the fact that my daughter is able to read lips and facial expressions, she was able to tell me that Noelia curses and rolls her eyes at her - my daughter's feelings notwithstanding. Noelia doesn't even allow my daughter to eat in the late room, despite the fact that she openly snacks right in front of her. What kind of an example is she setting? I am totally disgusted at this point to send both of my girls to this institution that passes as a school.

This is a busy, joyful school that does its best to meet UWS parent expectations for an academically challenging and arts/culturally enriched program. Most teachers are dedicated, passionate and creative -- each in their own way. Most parents are giving, involved and dedicated members of the school community. And the kids are mostly bright, sweet, eager students. There are exceptions to all of the above (of course!). But in a school this big you are bound to come across a few less-than-impressive teachers, parents, kids. The school has made strides in recent years to better support kids with IEPs, in ICT, etc. - including the hiring of special ed coordinator. The classes are big, lunchroom is crowded and the auditorium gets noisy -- but this is a NYC public school. The experience for kids and parents, I think, mirrors real life: How can you make your voice heard? How can you get your questions answered? How can you make the most of a teacher who has a different style than yours? How can you focus in a classroom where there are kids of all abilities learning next to you? I highly recommend this school for families looking for well-rounded education in life and in academics.

Just saw the review below. I can't disagree, because these things are subjective and everyone is entitled to an opinion about his/her own experience. Having said that, my child has had a wonderful group of teachers over the years, and her two years in an ICT class (as a general ed student) were fraught with real-life lessons on empathy, tolerance and understanding Moreover, having the two teachers was a big bonus. The school is large (and indeed, the building is 60 years old), and the administration is subject to all kinds of criticism every time something aries that 600+ families don't all agree with. Yet I've seen a level of caring and compassion from everyone. From the principal to the APs to the office staff to the school security guard. Love this school, warts and all.

As a parent of a child with special needs, I was very disappointed. PS87 shows a lack of understanding about different learning styles. Let's start with the cafeteria which is hosts 150 kindergarteners for lunch. Would that overwhelm your child? No problem! PS87 will give your child noise-cancelling headphones so they won't be bothered by the noise. Nor can they interact with their peers. Wonderful. And the Parent Coordinator... sadly, when we asked about the OT gym, we were told that we *absolutely* could not see it. Her demeanor was as if she thought we wanted to gawk at the poor special needs children; perhaps she hadn't considered the fact that the children in question were just like OURS. The school literature says about the ICT classes (which are 60% gen ed, 40% special ed) "Children on the general education side are 'model' students they must model excellent behavioral and learning habits." Seriously? Do these kids get *nothing* else out of the experience of being with differently-abled peers? How about tolerance? Or empathy? Or maybe, just maybe, those special needs kids have *something* to offer. It's worth considering. So much more to say. So few characters allowed.

It's an excellent school, period (seems like a couple of bitter posters below, as the whole favoritism thing seems way off base for example...I've seen hyperinvolved kids/families assigned to the "lesser-reputation" teachers or shut out of popular afterschool programs all the time). But let's be clear -- the school suffers from the same maladies that NYC publics have been suffering from. Bare-bones funding means large classes (but not nearly as large as other schools frankly...kudos to the administration for its continuous and under-appreciated push to keep sizes more reasonable), lack of administration/staffing, downgraded arts/music programs, a shell of a library. Why can't NYC schools be the cathedrals of excellence that parents, politicians, administrators and teachers all seem to be demanding?

I am a PS87 parent. I've been a big fan of the school until recently when I've become quite disillusioned over how the class assignments are made. Every year, the same favored families get the choice teachers. It's become tiresome seeing this happen year after year. This is supposed to be a public school, not a two tiered system where the favorite families end up getting the better school experience.

I was a cheerleader for PS 87 for 2 1/2 years, great teachers... but the comments below are true. I think the school is running on 'laurels of yesteryear'. This year feels a waste. Most of the parents in my class can't wait till it is over, the teachers seemed to care about the test , and checking their email. Bullying is not handled expeditiously (to say the least). A general lack of citizenship is being tolerated by a few over indulged students, and it is sadly impacting the many.